11 ways to be better LinkedIn

Why are you on LinkedIn? Very simply, you want people to contact you after they’ve seen your profile. But how do you convince them? Consider the following suggestions for creating your strongest possible Link to future business.

• Profile image

Use a current, professional headshot. A good photo gives potential contacts an immediate emotional connection. People want to do business with people they like, and a first visual impression can go a long way.

• Headline

The 120-character headline is one of the best spots on your profile to introduce yourself and quick-sell your practice. Don’t overlook it by giving it a once-over and moving to the meatier parts of your page; the readers may never get there.

•Summary

It takes 20 seconds to make a first impression. Use this section to tell your story. Be concise and specific, yet memorable and remarkable. Another tip: Write it in the first person. First-person summaries that are conversational make you seem approachable and accessible.

• Buzzwords

Avoid the done-to-death terms on the overused buzzwords list: “track record,” “innovative,” “creative,” “organizational,” “problem-solver,” “extensive experience,” “dynamic,” “effective.” There are over a million words in the English language. Find something catchier. Tip: Verbs are better than adjectives.

• Experience

List relevant career positions and provide a brief description of what you did in each role. Be sure to list volunteer experience as well. It’s often the non-business connection that brings people together to start a working relationship.

• Make connections

Invite your work colleagues, law school connections, clients and people you’ve met in person. Always personalize the invitation. Also, invite people you may not have met in person but with whom you have a connection.

For example, “I saw you speak at ___ and was hoping we could connect. I’d like to learn more about ___.” Don’t accept every invitation you receive. Remember: People also look at your profile to see who you know, so if you promote yourself as focusing on life sciences but all your connections are in real estate, your validity will be questioned. Look at the people your connections know. Sometimes it’s not whom you know but rather whom they know.

• Ask for introductions

Warning! Be very careful here. You are asking people to take the time and put their reputation on the line, so be thoughtful about whom and how you ask.

• Groups

Join groups with momentum and appropriate target audiences for your focus areas. Participate in discussions. Reach out to members who are discussing topics of interest or pertinence to you. Connect with other group members. Unjoin groups that aren’t proving to be productive for you.

• Follows

Follow your current clients and your dream clients. It’s critical to be aware of what your clients are doing and what is important to them. To what groups do they belong? To whom are they connected? What are they posting about? Without knowing who their target audience is, you can’t tailor your efforts to meet their needs. So follow them, watch them and get to know them.

• Status updates

These updates are a great way to let folks know when you’ll be speaking somewhere, and to share links (use a URL shortener) to an article you wrote, a blog post you read, a newsletter your firm issued, a webinar announcement or to ask whether anyone knows any good candidates for a position you are looking to fill.

Save the posts about your dog or the traffic for Facebook. Keep LinkedIn professional.